A handful of Minnesota philanthropic organizations have banded together to seed a relief fund aimed at offsetting the toll of COVID-19 in the state.

The Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund will help cover the “short and long-term needs that arise within communities as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic,” according to a statement from the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, which created the fund with the Minnesota Council on Foundations.

All of the money raised through the MDRF will be funneled to recovery efforts through community foundations, the six Minnesota Initiative foundations or other intermediaries that already have a grant-making process in place, the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation said in its statement.

Any MDRF money that is left over after all the state’s coronavirus-related needs are met will be dedicated to recovery efforts for future disasters, according to the fund’s website.

Nonprofits across the state have already seeded the MDRF with nearly $4.4 million, including a $250,000 contribution from the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, $250,000 from the F. R. Bigelow Foundation and $100,000 from the Mardag Foundation.

“This is further proof of what I know to be true, that the generosity of Minnesotans and our commitment to each other is vast,” said Eric Jolly, president of the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, in his organization’s statement. “An advisory committee of community leaders will be responsible for distributing relief dollars.”

Individuals who wish to make a contribution to the fund can do so at GiveMN.org. Foundations can contact Minnesota Council on Foundations President Susie Brown at 612-335-3557 or sbrown@mcf.org.

Nick Woltman reports on breaking news and blogs about local history. Before joining the staff of the Pioneer Press in 2013, he worked for the Bismarck Tribune in North Dakota. He lives with his wife and two cats in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul.

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